Handle or lever.



' A. SINNES.

HANDLE R LEVER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. I914.

l, 1 53,966. Patented Sept. 21, 12 315.

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W @QWJJWTO w COLUMBIA FLANOURAPH CO WASHINGTON D C STA " ITE ANTON SINNES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HANDLE OR LEVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed August 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,565.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON SINNEs, a subject of the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Handles or Levers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in handles or levers, and refers more particularly to removable handles or levers employed for use in connection with electric controllers or air-brake valves, such as are used on street cars or similar vehicles. v

Among the salient objects of the invention are, to provide an improved handle or lever which may be removed at will from the controlling mechanism without the necessity of employing any special tools or apparatus, and so organized that the handle is capable of being detached only when the handle is in a certain operative or inoperative position; to provide an improved arrangement by which backlash or lost motion between the handle and the controlling mechanism is entirely eliminated; to provide an improved handle of the class described in which there are no loose parts or complicated passing-devices which may become detached or lost; and, in general, to provide an improved lever or handle of the class referred to.

My invention consists in' the matters herein described and more particularly pointed out in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a preferred embodiment of my improved handle, and Fig. 2 is an under side view of Fig. 1, the stem of the controlling mecha nism being not shown.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that my improved handle consists of two principal parts,the socket piece 3 and the handle piece 4. In the drawings I have illustrated as a preferred embodiment of my invention a handle of the type suitable for use in connection with air-brake valves or electric-control switches, such as are used on street cars or similar vehicles. The handle comprises a socket piece 8, which is usually made of a casting of brass or other suitable metal, and a handle piece 4 which may preferably be constructed of wood or any other cheap material. The socket piece 3 is made with a boss 5 which is provided with a square hole adapted to fit over the squared end 6 of the rod 7 which forms the operating stem for the air-brake valve or control. One of the sides of the square, preferably the one adjacent the outer end of the handle, is rounded, as shown at 8 in Fig. 2, so that the handle will always fit onto the stem 6 in the same relative position. The back end of the socket piece 3 is extended and made in the form of a round stem or rod 9, the outer end of which is threaded as indicated at 10 and screws into a small threaded plug 11 which is secured in the outer end of a bore in the wooden handle 4: by means of a transverse pin or "rivet 12 which passes through the handle and plug. The inner end of the plug 11 is reduced slightly in diameter and threaded to screw into a lining sleeve 13 which extends from the plug 11 to the open end of the bore in the handle piece 4:- Theouter end of the sleeve 13 is threaded to receive a protective collar 14 which is tightly screwed up against the inner end of the handle piece 4 and suitably shaped to meld into the curve of the said handle piece.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that between the collar 14 and the outer face of the socket piece 3 is a space which is partly occupied by a sliding washer 15 which is loosely mounted upon the stem 9, and this sliding washer 15 is forced outwardly into engagement with the inner end of the handle piece by means of a spring 16 which is seated in a cylindrical bore 17 located in the outer face of the socket piece 5.

The lower portion of the curved inner face 8 of the socket boss is slotted or grooved out, as shown at 18, and in the said groove or slot is loosely mounted a clamping piece 19 having its inner face curved to correspond with the curved side of the squared stem 6. The members 15 and 19 are rigidly secured together by means of'a connecting plunger or pin 20 riveted into said parts at its ends and loosely sliding in a-cylindrical hole in the socket piece 5.

The operation of the device is obvious. hen it is desired to remove the handle it isplaced in the proper position so that the depending lug or tongue 21 is free to move upwardly from out of the slot in the upper rim of the control or air-brake casing (not shown), and the handle piece 4: is then given a slight twist so as to unscrew the plug 11 from the stem 9. The handle piece 4 carrying the part let thus moves outwardly slightly and permits the member '15 also to" move outwardly a suiiiclent distance to free" the clamping piece 19 from engagement with the stem 6. The handle may then be removed by raising it vertically upward; The replacement or attachment of the handle is equally, simple. The handle piece l, having previously been slightly unscrewed so as to cause the clamping piece 19 to seat itself in its out r position in the slot l8,the socket is placed in register with thc'stem 6 and for the motorman or other operator to carry around with hima wrench or'other device with which to lock or unlock the handle in or out of position on the controlling mechanism. The removal or replacement of the handle may be accomplished in an instant by a simple, slight twist of the handle piece and a further vertical movement of the entire handle, and when the handle is clamped in position on the stem there isno chance forany backlash or lost motion, the presence of whichis highly objectionable in that it is difficult for the operator to determine just to what extent he is moving the controlling mechanism, and also introduces'a slight lag or delay in the movement which is a very bad feature of the usual type of control handle made without a clamping device. It has also been my experience that motormen or similar employees of transportation companies are extremely apt to use the ordinary control handle as a ham mer or similar instrument, which is'not so apt to be the case with my improved control handle since the handle l is rotatable and consequently the motormen are apt to treat it with a little more respect than the ordinary handle.

It is obvious that my improved handle may bexmodified to some extent in its details without departing from the spirit of the invention, and consequently I do not limit myself to the construction shown, except as specified in the appended claims.

I claim 7 l. A removable handle for operating a valve or analogous stem, comprising, in combination, a one-piece socket member provided with a transverse aperture adapted to slidably receive the end of said stem, said stem and socket'being suitably conformed to prevent relative rotary movement and to prevent angular movement in, the plane stalk.

of the axis 'of the stem, said socket being provided with a radial outwardly projeoting stalk threaded at its outer end, a tubular handle piece surrounding said stalk and having threaded engagement with said outer threaded end of said stalk, said handle being free to rotate upon said stalk and thus cause relativeaxial movement thereof, due to said threaded engagement, a radially extending plunger slidably mounted within said socket member intermediate the inner end of said handle and said stem, and provided at its inner end with a head conformed to fit the'stem, and at its other end adapted to beengaged by the inner end of said handlevto perfect longitudinal movement of said plunger when said handle piece is rotated upon the stalk, and means associated with said plunger for effecting a with-. drawal thereof when said handle piece is moved outwardly with reference to said 2. The combination of a non-circular operating stem and a removable handle for saidwstem, comprising a rigid socket piece transversely apertured to slidably fit said stem, a handle piece having screwed engage-o ment with and axially rotatable on said socket piece, anda clamping member adapted to be forced into engagement'with said stem by the axial movement of said handle piece, caused by its rotation on said socket piece said socket and clampmember together vconstituting a spanner-like part adapted to interlock with and rotate said stem. v l, V I j 3. The combination of an operating stem and a removable! handle for said-stem comprising a rigid integral socket 'm-e'mb er' adaptedto fit spanner wise on said stem, a

handle piece axially rotatable on, carried by, r I

having screwed engagement with said socket pie'ce'and adapted to be advanced inwardly: toward said stem by the rotation offisa'id' ing member interposed between said handle 7 and stem slidably 'moun'ted' in said socket piece and adapted to be forced into .engagement with said stem by an inward movement of said handle piece;-

ta'ry movement to the stem of a valve-or; analogous mechanism comprising incombination a rigid. socket member transverselyapertured to slidably receive and interlock with theend of said stem, a hand-piece projecting from said socket member at right angles to the axis of the stem axially rotatable upon said socket member and having screw engagement therewith, whereby-rotation of said hand-piece on said socket member causes axial movement of said handpiece relative to said socket member, and a clamping member carried by said socket member and adapted to slide therein in a direction parallel to the axis of said handpiece, said clamping member being adapted to be forced into engagement with the stem by axial movement of said hand-piece.

5. A removable handle for operating the stem of a valve or analogous mechanism comprising in combination a rigid socket member transversely apertured toslidably fit over said stem, and provided with a projecting stalk, a hand-piece surrounding, axially rotatable upon said stalk, and having screw engagement therewith whereby rotation of said hand-piece causes an axial movement thereof relative to said socket member, and a clamping member interposed between said hand-piece and said stem and adapted to slide in said socket member, whereby rotation of said hand-piece on the socket causes said clamping member to be forced into engagement with said stem.

6. A removable handle for operating the stern of a valve or analogous mechanism Copies of this patent niay be obtained for comprising in combination a rigid integral socket member transversely apertured to slidably fit over said stem, and provided with a projecting stalk, a hand-piece surrounding, axially rotatable upon said stalk, and having screw engagement therewith whereby rotation of said hand-piece causes an axial movement thereof relative to said socket member, a clamping member interposed between said hand-piece and said stem and adapted to slide in said socket member, whereby rotation of said hand-piece on the socket causes said clamping member to be forced into engagement with said stem, and means for causing the withdrawal of said clamping member when said hand-piece is rotated in reverse direction.

ALBERT H. GRAvEs, EMILIE Rosn.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of. Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

